Repair Archives | The Environmental Center

We’re Celebrating 10 Years of Repair Café!

January 13, 2023

In 2013, we hosted the first Repair Cafés here in Central Oregon. Have you ever been to one of our Repair Cafés? Repair Cafés are held all around the world, and connect people with broken stuff to people who like to fix stuff. Repairing with other people saves natural resources, prevents waste, and cultivates community. […]

A Virtual Twist on Repair Café

November 9, 2021

The Environmental Center’s Rethink Waste Project coordinates with an amazing group of volunteer fixers to host Repair Cafés every few months. These free events connect people with broken stuff to people who like to fix stuff – they’re all about repairing things together. Stuff like, jewelry, small appliances and electronics, outdoor gear, clothing, and more. […]

5 Steps to Repairing Pinhole Leaks in Your Garden Hose

July 16, 2021

Did you know that extreme temperatures can damage your garden hose? If you had a garden hose sitting outside during the heatwave over the past few weeks, you may want to check on it for pinhole leaks. Though small, pinhole leaks can cause major water loss if they go unnoticed. They are also important to […]

Advocating for the Right to Repair

April 19, 2021

Right to Repair (HB 2698): Overview If you can’t repair your own things, do you really own them? In a time of planned obsolescence where stuff is made to be broken, this bill will empower repair rather than disposal by requiring manufacturers to provide us with the tools and manuals we need to fix our […]

Green Spotlight: Rugged Thread

March 29, 2021

Repair!! It’s the key to a circular economy, y’all. In this day and age with planned obsolescence being the norm for everything from our cell phones to our appliances to our CLOTHING, we want to use our money to buy quality items that have more durability and combine that with excellent repair options. Never heard […]

Waste that’s worthy of attention

February 12, 2021

Oregon’s legislative session is underway and there are over a dozen waste-related bills that have been introduced. Here are two bills that we support. Right to Repair (HB 2698): UPDATE: This bill died in the House of Representatives. It did not pass. Overview If you can’t repair your own things, do you really own them? […]

Volunteer Spotlight: Repair Cafe Fixer Mike!

July 24, 2019

Have you ever been to one of our Repair Cafes? With 5-6 per year, these free events connect people with broken stuff to people who like to fix stuff. If you haven’t been, you should really check one out. Even if you don’t have anything that needs fixing — it’s a fun and community driven […]

Five Years of Repair Cafes in Central Oregon!

October 22, 2018

On Thursday, October 18, 2018, it was exactly nine years since Martine Postma organized the very first Repair Café in Amsterdam. Today there are over 1,600 Repair Cafés in 33 countries on six continents. Here in our own backyard, The Environmental Center’s Rethink Waste Project organized the first local event five years ago at Pakit […]

Celebrating Five Years of Repair Cafés in Central Oregon

October 15, 2018

On Thursday, October 18, 2018, it will be exactly nine years since Martine Postma organized the very first Repair Café in Amsterdam. Today there are over 1,600 Repair Cafés in 33 countries on six continents. Here in our own backyard, The Environmental Center’s Rethink Waste Project organized the first local event five years ago at […]

It’s a Repair Revolution!

November 20, 2017

Two generations ago, most people could handle simple repairs, and most things manufactured were inherently repairable. Fast forward to our current state of fast consumerism, where things are made to be obsolete within 6 months. All that “instant garbage” has to go somewhere. But the bigger impact, the one we don’t witness, is all the materials […]

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